


A rain of feathers

by myotishia



Series: Psyonic [9]
Category: Doctor Who, Torchwood
Genre: Gen, Multi, Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-03
Updated: 2020-10-11
Packaged: 2021-03-07 17:34:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 9,982
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26801488
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/myotishia/pseuds/myotishia
Summary: Martha arrives to help with Torchwoods Osiris problem.
Relationships: Jack Harkness/Ianto Jones, Martha Jones/Mickey Smith, Owen Harper/Toshiko Sato
Series: Psyonic [9]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1766956
Comments: 10
Kudos: 22





	1. From the sky

Ianto opened the doors to the underground carpark and let in a rather nice porsche, gesturing to where it should be parked. The drivers side door opened and a very well dressed woman stepped out. She gave him a warm smile.

“It’s been too long.” Martha said, opening her arms to offer a hug.

He gave her a quick squeeze. “It has. How was the drive?”

“Long. I love the new look, very rugged.” She gestured to his neatly trimmed beard.

“I call it my Jack keeps hogging the bathroom in the morning look.”

“Ahh, I never thought he’d be the prissy type.”

“He’s been obsessing over the three grey hairs he found, remembering I’m one step from having stripes.”

“If it helps, you wear it well.”

“Thank you. You didn’t say who you were bringing.”

“I wanted it to be a surprise.” She chuckled. The man in the passenger seat stood and stretched before giving a polite nod. “This is Mickey. My husband, partner in alien fighting and also an ex travelling companion to the Doctor.” 

Ianto offered his hand to shake. “It’s nice to meet you, I'm Ianto. I’m sure Jack will be happy to see you.” 

“Wait… Jack?” Mickey shook Iantos hand. “There’s no way he’s still here.”

Martha began chuckling to herself. “Come on, we should go and say hello to the others.” 

Jack swept out of his office as he heard the door open and the sound of footsteps he wasn’t familiar with. He’d been very curious as to who Martha had decided to bring as she’d been quite secretive. If it wasn’t her he would have stopped it but he trusted her as much as he did his own team. He grinned broadly as he realised why.

“Mickey mouse.” He announced.

Mickey grinned. “Captain Cheesy.” They hugged like old friends should upon seeing each other for the first time in years. “You haven’t changed a bit.”

“You can’t improve on a classic.”

“You could try.”

“Welcome to Torchwood three.”

Mickey looked around the cavernous central area of the hub. “I still can’t believe you joined Torchwood, here, in the twenty first century. I thought Martha was winding me up.”

“Joined? I run Torchwood, thank you very much. It’s completely different from what it was in any world.”

“It looks it.” 

Martha hooked her arm around her husbands arm. “Let me introduce you to everyone. This is Gwen Cooper. Police liaison and voice of sense.”

“You’d think it would catch on but no.” Gwen smiled brightly.

“Over there is Toshiko Sato, computer genius and the bane of UNITs IT department.”

Tosh chuckled. “They just need to improve their security.”

“And waltzing up from the medical bay like he didn’t hear us is Dr Owen Harper. Expert in all things biological.”

“And the current winner of the name that alien organ game.”

“You’re never going to let me live that down, are you?”

“Methane bladder, terasquion plasma sack. Practically the same thing. Granted, one would explode into flames if it’s moved too quickly and the other stinks like a pub loo, but still.” He smirked. 

Melody took the three misfiled folders, last used by a certain captain, and tucked them under her arm. They needed to go back to a part of the archive she didn’t have the clearance for, so she’d just have to hand them off. She’d actually enjoyed helping keep the archives in order while Ianto was busy sorting out a meeting with someone from UNIT. It had to be important with all the messages he’d been getting. She double checked that she hadn’t knelt in a patch of dust and tidied her hair, using the small window in the door as a mirror. If she was going to be seen by whoever this was she didn’t want to make a bad impression. With the folders held to her chest, arms wrapped around them, she made her way up. She could feel two new minds and could hear people talking. It sounded like a positive conversation so that was a good start. She got to the top of the stairs and glanced around, knowing they had to be sitting up near Owens desk by how clearly she could hear them talking. She couldn’t just leave the folders by the coffee machine but she didn’t want to intrude. 

“Is everything ok?” Ianto asked, spotting her as he was heading over to the coffee machine. 

She shook off her surprise. “Um, I’m fine. These files need to go into a higher access area.” 

“Oh, no problem. I’ll put them away in a bit.” He took the folders from her and placed them to the side. “You should join us.”

No longer holding anything she didn’t know what to do with her hands anymore, defaulting to playing with her necklace. “I wouldn’t want to intrude. When you get the chance could you ask Owen if he wants me to find a different rat supplier for now? There’s going to be a delay with his usual once due to an incident with a nervous mother rat and an escapee male. If it’s not urgent then it shouldn’t be too long of a wait but I don’t know if he has anything planned.”

“You could tell him yourself.” He looked over at her to see her studying her shoes intently. “They don’t bite. You’re not usually this nervous around people.”

“Sorry. It’s just new people actually in here. Important people. I don’t want to get in the way, or be noticed at all if possible.”

“Relax. They’re friends. We’ve worked with Martha before and Jack knows Mickey from his time with the Doctor.”

“That makes it worse, you all know each other. Isn’t there anything else I can do in the archives for now? I can vacuum?”

“If you can make it past without being noticed you can hide up in the office if you want.”

“Can I at least get a distraction?” 

He laughed softly. “Says the woman who’ll face down the scum of the universe and order it to leave.”

“Aliens I can deal with. Humans I can’t.”

He smiled sympathetically. “Go on.”

“Fine.” She sighed, defeated. The cog door was open so maybe she had a chance if she was quiet enough. She’d almost made it when she heard Jack clear his throat. 

She turned to see him with a slightly mischievous smile on his face. “Um… I was just…”

“This is Melody, Iantos assistant and accomplished telepath.” He said. 

Her cheeks flushed a bright red in embarrassment and she managed a small wave. “Hello.” She squeaked out. 

“Hi. I’m Martha and this is my husband Mickey. It’s nice to meet you.”

“You too.”

“The telepaths I’ve met have always been in their late thirties, how long have you been active?”

“Since I was... um... four.”

“That’s… I’ve never heard of that before. The youngest I ever heard of was thirteen.”

“That’s usually when it kicks in. Owen’s been studying my telepathy for a while if you’re interested.” She relaxed a little as she wasn’t getting any nasty thoughts from the woman. She seemed to be legitimately curious. 

“If you’re ok with me seeing it. It’ll be attached to your medical records and everything.”

“That’s fine, though I should probably warn you that my records are a bit… um… Torchwood.”

“Oh? Sorry, I should ask any questions in private.”

“No, it’s ok. I don’t mind. It can just be a bit unnerving without prior warning. Anyway, I should let you get back to catching up and discussing what’s happening with Osiris and such.” 

“Actually-” Jack interjected, “being as you’re the one who’s been having the visions I want you here for that discussion.” 

“I don’t know what help I’ll be. I’ve already reported everything I know, but I’ll try.” 

After being filled in on what was going on with Osiris Martha took the opportunity to talk to Owen about his telepathy study. She followed him down to the medical bay where he still had half of his paper notes and could show her much more detailed images with the projector. 

“Melody’s a bit …”

“Afraid of her own shadow?” He said, switching on the projector. “She’s usually not that nervous. It’s a mix of new people in the hub and it only being a week since she spent a lot of time with a dead dalek, a dead waiter, a killer robot and an Osiris agent who tried to kidnap her.”

“This dalek was mentioned earlier. How did you manage to deal with it?”

“Mel told it to die, so it did.”

She looked away from the projection on the wall to give him a sceptical look. “Oh come on, I’ve worked with telepaths, they can’t just puppet a body to that level.”

“Maybe yours can’t but ours can. Take a look at this.” He brought up the recordings of Melodys active brain scans. “Ever managed to get working scans from your lot?”

She stared up at the footage. “Yea, but it was nothing like this. Her brain shouldn’t be able to cope like that, let alone be functional.” 

“She had a problem with it diverting control from the medula oblongata, making her blood pressure spike, but I’ve managed to fix that.”

“The only time I’ve ever seen anything like this was a man in his twenties with advanced telekinesis abilities but his other cognitive functions were next to nothing. Is she one hundred percent human?”

“Yep. Well, other than the spinal implants, but they came after. It's all in her records.”

“Is she safe here? If that kind of power got into the wrong hands-”

“We’re keeping a close eye on her. Anyway, the only people who know that much about her are us, Jack made sure of that. To the rest of the world she’s just Melody the office worker, likes heavy metal, hello kitty and going on long walks.”

“The Osiris agent, how did they survive?”

“She was exhausted and scared. If he’d really hurt her he wouldn’t have stood a chance, but if she doesn’t feel like she’s in mortal danger she holds back.”

“Can I have a copy of this?” 

“No chance, sorry. This information doesn’t leave our system.”

“Do you mind if I spend some time looking through it?” 

“Go ahead. Mel gave you her permission so it’s fine.” 

Mickey had started the day a bit unsure about this whole trip but it had been worth it after all. Though Jack didn’t look any different he did seem a lot more relaxed. He’d always had this slight edge to him, like he was always waiting for something to crash the party, but that had dulled. He was happier, not always putting on a persona, and somehow brighter for it. 

“Why here then? I thought you’d be off partying your way around the universe.” Mickey said.

The captain let a little sadness show in his eyes before it was swept away by something else. Something warmer. “I thought I’d give settling down a go.”

“Yea, but here? Why not a beach or somewhere a bit less dreary.”

“Well, someone needed to keep an eye on the rift. Anyway, it’s not exactly about the place. It’s the people.” His eyes wandered to where Ianto was placing the freshly washed coffee mugs away. There it was again, that warmth. 

Mickey couldn’t hide the smile that rose up as the realisation hit. “Oooh, right, now I understand.”

“Huh?”

“It isn’t just the people. It’s a person.”

He laughed. “Am I that obvious?”

“Maybe not to most people, but yea. Are you two an item?”

“They are even if they don’t say it around anyone else.” Said Tosh from her desk. “Have been for quite a while now. I think the last time Martha was here it was unofficial?”

Jack rolled his eyes but he couldn’t exactly hold it against her. Their stance wasn’t exactly clear to everyone but themselves. Neither had wanted to tempt fate, but after Owen nearly died things had changed. They’d all had close calls before, especially the young doctor, but this was one he hadn’t walked into. He’d been seconds from death and if Martha hadn’t been as skilled as she was or there wasn’t an ambulance literally on site there was no chance he’d have seen the next sunrise. It just showed them that fate had already been tempted. It didn’t matter if things were official or not. Just being connected to Torchwood put a kind of target on your back no matter what you did, so why not be clear about things. 

“We made it official around the time you and Owen started dating didn’t we?” He teased.

She smiled, not looking over at him. “We must have made a good example.” 

Mickey couldn’t help but laugh. It was nice, almost nostalgic.

Gwen leaned on the tourist information office counter. “So, I know you were busy earlier so I couldn’t ask but-”

“I’m ok.” Melody smiled softly. “Your friends seem nice.”

“They are. Hopefully Martha can convince UNIT to help us out. If not then this is going to be really difficult to deal with.”

“I’ll help if I can.”

“If you’re feeling more yourself by then.”

“Gwen I’m… I’m…”

“Not ok?”

“I’m just a bit on edge. I’ve always relied on my telepathy to protect me but… The other day made it very clear that it isn’t enough. You know, I’ve actually been trying to exercise so I can try learning some self defence again.”

“That’s great. I’d be happy to help when you’re feeling a bit more in shape.”

“You’ll be waiting a while. I keep just ending up on the floor, trying to catch my breath.”

“Then you’re pushing yourself too hard. Slow it down a bit and you’ll get there. If it helps, you’re in much better condition than you were a few months ago.” 

“Shame it didn’t help me.” She sighed and ran her fingers through her hair. “Sorry. I’m being a real buzz kill today, aren’t I. Just give me a few more days and I’m sure I’ll feel better.”

A loud thud on the outer door made both women jump. Gwen opened the door and looked around for someone throwing rocks, kicking a football, anything that could explain what had caused it. At first she didn’t see anything but as she examined the outside of the door she saw a small blood stain where the wooden door had a small dent. By her feet lay a dead seagull. Another thud, further away caught her attention. Another bird had fallen from the sky and hit the pavement. One after another a whole flock of birds fell out of the sky, stone dead, not even trying to slow their descent. She couldn’t see what had caused it or where it stopped. Even in the distance she could see tiny black dots falling. 

“What the hell?” Breathed Melody, standing in the doorway. 


	2. The breath of a sea bird

Owen didn’t know exactly what to expect when Gwen brought him a large binbag full of what had fallen from the sky. He’d been told it was birds, but he could never be quite sure.

“So, we’re just down to using bin liners now, are we?” He said, gesturing for her to put the bag on the table. 

She rolled her eyes. “Well I couldn’t exactly go wandering around putting them in a body bag could I.” She placed the bag down. “This was the biggest one we could find. It’s like a hen house exploded out there with all the feathers.”

He opened the bag to reveal a large seagull, its head leaning at an uncomfortable angle. Martha leaned on the railing. “Well, I didn’t think I’d see you dissecting a bird on this trip.”

“See? Put some gloves on and get down here.” He said with a grin. “You can use it to pay me back for letting you look through my telepath study.” 

Gwen chuckled. “Good luck with him.” She moved round to the archway. “I’m going to go and see how far Mel wants to go in cleaning them up.”

“She does know that’s not exactly her job.”

“I said that, but she said she thought if they were contaminated she didn’t want them getting dragged off by rats or weevils.”

Martha gave Gwen a sympathetic look. “I think Tosh said the effect spans about six miles so she might be there for a while.”

“Oh god. I’ll go get her.” She rushed off, leaving the two doctors to deal with the bird.    
  


Mickey had been watching Tosh work when something hit his boot. He looked down to see a small robot carrying a folder above its head with its little stub arms. Another followed, checking on its friend. 

“Oh… Are these yours?” He asked, stepping out of their way. 

She glanced down. “Oh, sorry. Syn, Tax, try and look where you’re going.” 

The little robots beeped in acknowledgement and held up the folder. 

She took it and placed it on her desk. “Thanks. Back to your charging port.” 

They turned in small circles before nestling down into a box under the desk.

Mickey chuckled. “Did you build them?”

“I salvaged them. They can do little jobs around the place and they keep me company when everyone else is out.” 

“I expected more people when Martha mentioned Torchwood.”

“Nope. Just us. I think the more people you have the harder it is to keep things hidden.”

“What happens if someone gets hurt then?”

“We cope.” She shrugged. “As long as Jack’s around we can keep going no matter what happens. I like to think so anyway.”

He smiled softly. “I’m glad he’s happy. The doctor wasn’t always… Well, sometimes he could be a real arsehole. I don’t know why everyone forgives him the way they do. I’m just as guilty but still.” 

“I’ve heard little bits about the Doctor, but not much. I mean I even met him once, but it’s not as if we had a long conversation.”

“He needs people to stop him losing touch with why he does half the stuff he does. Sad thing is he does pull trouble along wherever he goes. No one gets out of travelling with the Doctor unscathed.”

“Is it worth it?”

“I think so… You’re asking the wrong person. I spent a lot of my time in a parallel world wiping out cybermen.” He sat on the sofa and sighed. “After I came back I tried to walk away from it for a bit, but once you’ve started with all the alien stuff and really got into it there’s no going back.”

“There really isn’t… Are you helping UNIT?”

“Me? Naa. I’ve done too much to be taking orders and playing soldier. I’m strictly freelance.” 

“You could talk to Jack, maybe help us for a bit.”

He laughed. “Sorry. I know you’re serious but I’d rather be out there on my own. I worked at Torchwood one for a bit and we all know how that ended.”

“Oh god. I’m so sorry.” She gasped.

“It was a long time ago. I know you’re not the same as them or anything. Jack wouldn’t let that happen.”

“He’s so careful about daleks and cybermen. Even transporting the dead one he insisted on being there just in case.”

“How did you kill it? They’re armoured to the teeth.”

“We didn’t. Well, Melody did.”

“Wait… What?”

“From the outside daleks are nearly impossible to kill, but from the inside… Well…”

“I’ve never met anyone who could do that. That’s… A bit terrifying. I mean it’s great that you have that defence but I’m glad she’s on our side.” 

“Don’t worry about her. She’s a soft heart.”

“Wait, if she can do that then why do you need help with this Osiris lot?”

“That would be too much, even for her. There’s so many and they’re heavily armed, we wouldn’t stand a chance. Speaking of Osiris, they’re still trying to bail their snipers out. They keep trying to send bribes but I’ve been blocking them.”

“I wonder why they haven’t gone after you directly.”

“I’ve thought about that actually. I think they assume we’re a lot bigger than we are. Most of us don’t have anyone they can take hostage either and those that do I’ve been keeping track of, just in case.” 

“That’s what you think’s happening at UNIT?”

“Exactly. That or someone high up at UNIT is a double agent.”

“That makes sense.”

“Oh?”

“Martha said they’ve been having shipments from other bases disappear for a couple of years, but it’s such an embarrassment they’ve been keeping it quiet. There has to be someone on the inside. There’s been an investigation, but if it’s someone high up they could easily cover it up.”

“Do you think Martha could find out? I’ve already swept their general system, but I’m sure they have more than I can find.” 

“It’s worth a try. We can ask when she’s done with the bird.”

“That’s a point. The birds. The energy signature’s completely gone. I thought it was some kind of wave based weapon but those kinds of weapons by their nature leave a lot of damage. This didn’t. In fact if we didn’t have all the birds it would have gone unnoticed.”

“So it wasn’t a weapon?”

“It could be part of one. I won’t know for sure until the birds have been examined.” 

Jack had gone out to see if Melody was ok and tell her she really didn’t need to clean up after he saw Gwen walking in with the bag of bird. He’d found her in a circle of very upset sounding crows, gently petting a fallen one. They’d cawed at him angrily and flown off as he approached. 

“You know I appreciate how caring you are but isn’t this a bit… Much?” He said, crouching next to her.

She didn’t look up from the black feathered creature. “He was still alive. I stopped his pain receptors and looked through his memories. All they saw was a bright flash and then they fell.”

“Think you’re ready to put him down?” 

“I suppose.” She sighed and gently placed the crow into the bag. “I didn’t want him to suffer.”

“You can’t clean all of this up. Why don’t you come inside?” 

“Where should I put them?”

“Why don’t we put them in the incinerator before they start to smell.”

“I’m ok.”

“I never said you weren’t, but you’re sitting outside petting dead birds.”

“He wasn’t dead.”

“The point stands.” 

She pulled herself to her feet. “I don’t know if it’s just what happened the other day but I’ve got this horrible gut feeling that something awful’s about to happen. I can’t shake it.”

“You’re not used to the rough days here. It’s ok to still be shaken up.” He stood and placed a hand on her shoulder. “I’m always here if you need to talk.”

“I don’t think talking’s going to help this time. You’ve all been really sweet checking on me but… I don’t think this is just stress or trauma. At first I did, but the last few nights I’ve felt like something was looming over me when I walked home. Not like a person, something bigger, like I’ve caught somethings attention by killing that dalek.”

“You don’t have to feel guilty about that.”

“I know… I don’t. I mean it had to be done, but … I don’t know. I’m probably overthinking things.”

“How about for the next few nights I’ll give you a lift home. And I’ll have Tosh keep an eye out for anything strange following you. Ok?”

She nodded softly and grabbed the bag of birds as the murder of crows called from above. “Jack… Please be careful. If Osiris captures you I don’t know if we’d be able to bring you back, or deal with it and your abilities combined.” 

“I won’t let that happen.”

“You say that a lot.”

“You worry a lot.” He guided her back inside, a hand rested on her back. He understood her concern. He’d considered it too, along with the possible consequences, but he couldn’t let it stop him from doing his job. As much as he’d played it off as stress he was also worried about this feeling the woman had. Yes, she worried a lot, but she was also right a lot. 

Martha and Owen stored the seagull and washed away the evidence of the dissection before heading to report back on their findings. 

“So, that bird was alive before it hit the floor, but it would have died eventually even if it hadn’t hit the concrete that fast.” He began. 

Mel tilted her head. “What was the bright light then?” 

“Bright light?”

“It was like a sunburst.”

“Wait, how do you know? You been reading birds minds?”

“Yes.” 

“It could be the powder we found in the gulls lungs. They might have seen it like a flash instead of a burst of powder.” Martha offered. 

“Right. Makes sense.” He continued. “Anyway, the birds breathed in a kind of pollen. Nothing found on earth. It shouldn’t be harmful to humans with it being dispersed in the air so high up, but if it was to be released on ground level we could have a problem.”

Tosh frowned. “I thought so. It was a test to see the range and dispersal pattern. That’s why there was barely an energy signature after it went off. It was just a small charge to throw the pollen into the air at enough speed to cover a certain area.”

“It was a biological weapon test.” Mickey said grimly. 

Jack felt the tension in the room rise exponentially. “So what does this pollen do exactly?”

“We know it stopped the birds from being able to flap their wings, but I still need to run a few tests to give you a definite list of effects. Think we can collect some more birds?” Asked Owen. 

“We have a couple of bin liners full of them. You caught us just before we took them to be incinerated. We should work on the assumption that it’s potentially deadly for now. We need to find the source of it. This is our top priority, Osiris can wait. Tosh, can you find where the thing was launched from?”

The tech nodded. “On it.”

“Gwen, call Andy and let him know there’s a possibility that we’ll need to evacuate a large area at a moments notice. Ianto, get the media warning people to stay away from the dead birds. They’re a biohazard. Melody, get our hazmat suits and respirators ready, just in case. Mickey, can you give her a hand?” 

“Sorry for dragging you down here like this. Jack doesn’t like it when I climb on the shelves to reach things.” Melody gave a shy smile. 

Mickey brushed it off. “I don’t mind. It’s interesting down here.”

“It has its charm.” She waved her pass in front of a scanner and the lock to the equipment room disengaged. 

He stepped into the large room, filled with shelves, and followed to a far corner. “So… Uh… You’re Iantos assistant.”

“Yep. I help with the day to day stuff, ordering supplies, food, keeping the place clean. It’s nice.” She grabbed an old leather bound book to sign out the hazmat suits.

“I would have thought you’d be higher ranked with your mind reading and everything.” 

“No way. I’d like to stay out of any decisions that could get anyone hurt. I’m a support class.”

He laughed. “You game?”

“Casually. Mostly horror or RPGs. I spend most of my time off online.”

“Yea?”

“Yea. I know it’s silly but I have a habit of just reading conspiracy and paranormal message boards. Among others but those mostly for entertainment.”

“Which ones? I used to go on them all the time.”

“Unsolved mysteries, conspiracy corner, Aliens among us and The Library of Mysteries.” 

“I was always on conspiracy corner.”

“Were you around when all the threads about the Doctor was wiped? The whole forum went nuts.”

“I wasn’t watching but I can believe it. They were getting pretty close to being right about him before then.” 

She laughed sincerely, her smile lighting up. “Everyone would think they were mad believing in a time travelling alien who just turns up every so often with a different face.” 

“I know. Do you remember the one about the Chupacabra in Essex?” 

“Oh god yea. Like, you’re in England, not Mexico and that picture is of a dog with mange. I’ve heard of reaching but that was ridiculous.” She placed the book on a side table and grabbed a storage box from a shelf that was at her shoulder height. “Would you mind grabbing the box up there? It should be marked C six two five.” 

“Sure.” He pulled the box down and placed it on the table. 

“Thanks. I was actually a bit worried about making small talk. It can get super quiet around here.”

“Same. I thought it would be so uncomfortable with the whole super telepath thing.”

“I’m nothing close to that. There are loads of telepaths out there. I’m just younger than most of them.” 

“That’s not what I’ve heard.”

“Trust me, I’m nothing special.” She opened the boxes and began writing down the serial numbers from each suit. 


	3. Rise and fall

Owen kind of felt sorry for the little white rat in the tank in front of him. It had moved past the disorientation stage, the numbness in its limbs and had started the sensitivity stage. He’d turned down the lights and spoke quietly so not to hurt the animal any more than necessary. It looked like it was sleeping but every so often it would blink and move its legs uselessly.

“This isn’t a weapon to kill en mass. It’s more like a flashbang.” Martha whispered, leaning down to look at the rodent. 

He nodded. “At least in this form. If it’s released like this then I can counteract it.”

“You’re thinking whoever released it’ll try and concentrate it?”

“Exactly. It’s too unpredictable in its raw form. How’s the reversal agent coming?” 

“Done, it’s just the delivery method I’m concerned about. Right now even the smallest needle will feel like we’re slicing the poor thing open.”

“Not if I inject it into his leg. He won’t feel a thing.”

“How steady are your hands?” She asked, shocked that he’d even attempt it.

He grinned smugly. “Steady as a rock.”

Gwen sat on one of the back seats of the small boat that Jack was steering. The device had been set off from the middle of the bay and they hoped something was left to identify who’d pushed the button. The water was covered in the feathers of fallen birds, making the waves look like they were foaming. 

“Why test something like this so out in the open?” She asked.

Jack barely moved, his eyes set squarely on their destination. “I didn’t want to say anything but I think it was a threat. They knew approximately where the hub was when they took Tosh and Melody, so it isn’t a surprise that they could target the area. If they know I’m immortal they know whatever they do won’t kill me, but it will hurt everyone around me. They made it rain death.”

“Why didn’t you say anything before? It’s not as if we’re going to sell you out.”

“I know. I trust you, all of you, but this is psychological warfare and if I can stop them getting into everyones heads then we have a better chance. Mel’s already got her suspicions.”

“Of course she does. We’ll get through this. We won’t let them take you.”

“If it happens-”

“Jack-”

“ **If** it happens I know there’s no way to kill me but you can freeze me. Make sure there’s no way for that thing to hurt anyone. Make sure Ianto’s ok.”

“Why are you being so defeatist? What’s going on?”

He switched off the engine and stood back, slipping off his coat and handing it to her.

“Jack?” 

“There’s been a laser sight tracking the side of your head since we left the dock. If I’d stopped they would have killed you. Now we’re where we we’re meant to be, surrounded, they should let you go. You’re not who they want.”

She looked around to see a group of five boats approaching, manned by Osiris agents who were clearly armed to the teeth. 

Jack put his hands up in surrender. “Gentlemen, don’t you think this is a bit much just for me?”

“Nice to see you have some sense.” Said one of the men, obviously of higher rank. 

“Let her go and I’ll come along without a fight.”

“Oh no. We want her to go back and tell the rest of your team what’s happened. Let them get their affairs in order.”

When Gren got back to the hub, Jacks coat folded over her arm, she was greeted with confusion and a complete silence. Melody was the first to break it. 

“I knew it. I warned him this would happen.” She said through gritted teeth. 

Gwen took a deep breath. “We’re going to get him back. We’ve been trying to keep this quiet but they’ve made their move.”

“What are you suggesting? We can’t just walk in.” Tosh said, not out of irritation but fear. 

Owen placed a hand on her shoulder. “It won’t be easy but we don’t have another choice. I say we go in all guns blazing.”

“For once I’m with Owen. We can’t let Osiris use Jack. We should brute force our way in.” Ianto agreed. “Martha, do you think we can get reinforcements?”

She shook her head. “Not without twenty four hours notice. But if we’re going on a rescue mission then I’m in too.”

“I’m good at going in all guns blazing. Count me in too.” Mickey said sternly. 

Gwen nodded. “It’s unanimous then. Owen, get your kit ready. If both you and Martha have medical kits we might have a chance of surviving. Ianto, get us set up with all the heavy arms you can. Tosh, get into the Osiris system and cause as much chaos as you can. Cut their power, water, everything. I’ll see what body armour we have.” 

The group parted. A moment later Mel walked after Gwen. “Wait. What should I do?”

“I don’t know right now.”

“You’re not leaving me behind.”

“Melody, I know you’re strong but you’re not fully combat trained and what happens in there is going to cause so much mental noise that it’ll paralyse you.”

“So I’m just meant to sit here, not knowing if any of you will ever come back?”

“This isn’t the time-”

“I can help. Please! Jack saved me, I need to return the favour.”

“And what happens if you get captured too?!”

“I won’t.”

“You can’t even run away if it all goes to hell!”

“I won’t need to!”

“No. That’s an order. Understand?” Tears pricked at her eyes as she walked away. She knew how much Melody wanted to help but going along would be suicide. There were too many people for her to cope with. At least at the hub she’d be safe. For now Gwen needed to keep her head clear and in control. 

Melody sat in Jacks office, trying to block out the sound of everyone getting ready to go, her knees pulled up to her chest. 

“Aren’t we short one?” Asked Mickey from the main area of the hub.

Gwen shook her head. “Mel’s staying here.”

“What? So we’re going on a rescue mission  **without** the one with the superpowers?”

“It’s safer for her here.”

“Yea, it’s safer for all of us here. I-”

Martha placed a hand on his arm. “Mickey, let it go. She isn’t trained for field work.”

“And I wasn’t trained in fighting cybermen, so what? If she can help we should take her. Look. I get that you don’t want her to get hurt but we’re in this. There isn’t really such thing as safe.”

Mel gritted her teeth and stood, leaning in the archway and forcing a smile. “It’s ok. You don’t have to try and convince anyone to let me go with you. They’re right. I’m not trained so I’d just get in the way. Just… Please…” Her smile began to falter. “Bring him back safe… Come back safe, all of you.” 

“Melody…”

“Go on… We don’t know how much time we have left.”

“If… you’re sure.” He wasn’t convinced. None of them were. Her skills really could be useful but only if she was able to keep herself together with the world collapsing around her. They couldn’t just stay back because she wasn’t coping. Walking away it still felt wrong. 

As the hub fell silent Melody let her forced smile fall away. Alone she could let the fear and feeling of betrayal out. Tears streamed down her face and she sunk to the floor, fingers laced into her hair, the building suddenly feeling so cold. She stayed like that for twenty long minutes before going to splash some cold water on her face. There was no use just sinking into despair. That wouldn’t help anyone. She took a set of reports she’d been meaning to write up that afternoon and took them up to the tourist information office. She shivered slightly as she sat in the eerie quiet, only interrupted by the tapping of the keys of her keyboard. The door to the outside opened, making her jump lightly as she hadn’t expected anyone to bother visiting this late in the day. The man swept in and gave her a polite nod, glancing around. 

“Hello. How can I help you?” She asked with a soft smile. 

The base was mostly hidden below ground, but the entrance in the hillside was surrounded by a fence and flanked by armed guards. A sleep gas grenade rattled to their feet before releasing its payload into the air. They barely had time to react before they hit the floor. Tosh had disabled the cameras on the outside of the building so they wouldn’t be noticed yet. Owen grabbed one of the sleeping mens passes and held it up to the scanner, the door swinging open. In two shots he knocked out the first internal camera and took out the guard. Once inside, he, Micky and Gwen moved left and Martha, Tosh and Ianto went right. They wanted to stay as quiet as possible but to do that some people would have to die. Only if it was necessary of course, but sadly they all knew that it would be necessary more than once. Working through the facility they found hundreds of alien artefacts stored, ready to be sold. It was a huge operation. 

“This is taking too long. We need to find out where Jack’s been taken.” Ianto whispered. 

Tosh glanced over the map on her PDA. “Logically Osiris should be in the centre of the complex. If we find Osiris we’ll find Jack.” 

Jack had been dragged into a large room that smelled of gallons of perfume and the sickening scent of decomposition. He’d been pushed into a chair and his wrists tied down. In the shadows at the far end of the room he saw movement. 

“You’re Osiris.”

A gravelly voice replied. “I am. And you are the immortal.”

“Captain Jack Harkness. That’s what everyone calls me anyway. I heard you wanted my body, but sadly I’m taken right now and you haven’t even bought me dinner.” He was buying time, trying to work out how to get out of the handcuffs that were keeping him in place. 

Osiris, in all of his green skinned, internally decomposing, glory stepped out of the shadows. “Intriguing. When I was told that all of us would find a suitable vessel I thought my brother was out of his mind, but you really are perfect.” 

“Flattery will get you nowhere.”

“It does not need to get me anywhere.”

“So what’s the plan? You take over my body, then what?”

“Then I find what is left of my brethren. That is what my whole organisations goal has always been. Anything else we sell to fund that goal.”

“And then you take over the world?”

“This planet may be small but it is still a planet. It is still a place we can find our true power in the universe again. Any more questions?”

“Yea. What’s that smell?”

“This is what happens when we use an incompatible vessel for too long. We rot.”

“What’s your real form then? All the others I’ve seen had one.”

“True indeed.” He stepped back and took a blade from a table to the side, examining it before pressing it to a scar on his forehead. Black, rotten, blood oozed from the cut. Jack tried to keep his disgust hidden as he watched the man peel back part of his scalp and forehead to reveal a golden orb that unfolded into a kind of giant isopod. The body that had housed the creature shuddered. “This… Is my… True form. Now, it is… Time.”

It wiped the rotten blood from the blade and approached Jack. “Yea, I don’t think so.” He tipped himself backwards and kicked the blade from Osiris’ hand, sending it clattering to the floor. Though he was still attached to the chair by the wrists, at least he’d managed to roll backwards and onto his feet. The sound of gunfire and explosions rose from both ends of the complex. “That was fast.”

“What?! How? How did… They know where… We are?”

“We’ve known where your base is for a while. We wanted to minimise the loss of life, so we didn’t blow this place off the map to begin with.” 

“How?!”

“What do you think happened to all of your networks? That was us.”

Osiris hissed. “How did you know what I planned to do?!”

“We have a really good telepath.” He grinned. “Better than the one you had.” 

He lunged at Jack, held back by the chair, scratching and snapping at the air. The puppet body had no concern for itself so it was a lot stronger than he’d expected, pushing him back to the wall. The golden creature began to crawl out and across the chair, snapping its razor sharp pincers at him. 

“Even if you escape me, more will gather to bring us together. Then your world is ours.”

He gritted his teeth as the creature bit into his forehead, pinned too hard to the wall to fight it off. 

The men guarding the central chamber fell under a hail of bullets from both sides. Mickey set up a breaching charge on the locked door and ran back to cover. Through the dust kicked up by the blast Ianto could see Jack fending off a figure. He didn’t hesitate. He just charged in, his eyes drawn to the golden isopod. He fired at it, the bullet bouncing off its shell but successfully knocking it away from both Jack and its host body. The half rotten corpse fell, limply, to the floor and Jack looked up, blood running down the left side of his face from a deep gouge in his forehead. 

He smiled. “You’re really learning how to make an entrance.” 

“You don’t have to get kidnapped for me to do that.”

Gwens eye was drawn to a flash of gold moving across the side wall. “Don’t let it escape!” She called, firing a couple of shots into the far end of its tail, chipping off a large chunk of its shell from the edge and breaking one of its legs. Still it sped, incredibly fast, out of the door and into the maze of hallways. “Shit!” 

“We might still be able to get it if we burn this place.” Owen suggested. 

Tosh looked at him in surprise. “But there’s so much alien technology down here. A fire could set off a chain reaction.” 

“So we’re just letting it go?”

Jack spoke out. “It’s probably already found a body to pilot out of here. We’ll fill the place with something toxic. Make sure no one can get back in. Tosh, get a copy of this places internal network and shut it down.” He staggered, Ianto catching him before he fell.

“Jack? What’s happening?” 

“I think… That body wasn’t just rejected… Whatever that thing’s made of is toxic.” He winced, pain spreading through his head from the gash that seemed to be getting worse instead of the blood slowing. Owen and Martha both moved to help but Jack held up his hand to stop them. “Let’s get out... of here first.” 


	4. Drifting away

Jack was relieved to be back at the hub, even if it had taken until three in the morning. Ianto was still keeping a close eye on him, not convinced that he’d been ‘sleeping’ in the back of the SUV after refusing treatment. The captain had insisted he’d started to feel better once he was outside, but Ianto thought that might have been the toxin reaching his brain. Martha and Mickey had headed off to the hotel to shower and get some sleep after the events of the day before. Gwen wanted to get everything put away before going home, and wanted to speak to Melody too. Reaching the main area of the hub she was about to call out when Ianto stopped her and pointed to the sofa. Mel was asleep, curled up in a ball, Syn and Tax in sleep mode next to her, close enough that they were touching her hand. Jacks coat was folded neatly on the arm of the sofa nearest to Melodys head. The place was spotless and even the desks had been tidied to a certain degree, the only thing out of place being the equipment and armoury sign out books stacked neatly on the coffee table. 

“Why are we all-” Owen began, wanting to get his keys so he could go home, before Gwen shushed him, pointing over to the small figure. “Ok, not jumping on that grenade. You told her to stay here so good luck with that.”

She rolled her eyes. “She knows it was to keep her safe, so shush.” She whispered.

Jack walked over to the sofa and unfolded his coat, covering her with it so she didn’t get cold. Tax eye lit up as it shifted out of sleep mode, beeping happily before raising its stumpy arm to wake Mel up. Jack lifted it into the air. 

“No, no, no. Let her sleep.” He said softly, placing Tax down on the floor, followed by its twin. Both robots wheeled back to their charging dock under Toshikos desk to continue their down time. 

Gwen walked over. “I was going to talk to her but it looks like she’s out cold.” She breathed.

“And you should go home before Rhys starts trying to knock down my door. Get some sleep.”

She hesitated, but conceded that he was right. There was nothing she could say at this point that she couldn’t say the next day. Mel looked comfortable anyway. 

Melody heard a hissing sound, like a pit of angry snakes had been set up right behind her. She Looked back but saw nothing. In fact there was nothing no matter where she looked. 

“Hello?” Her voice echoed into the darkness. “Where… Am I?” 

The hissing sound returned, louder this time and with a rhythm that was almost mimicking speech. A deep fear rose in her stomach and she began running in the opposite direction, beginning to hear voices she recognised in the distance. 

“Guys! I… I’m lost… Help me!...” She gasped, tripping and hitting the floor as the voices drifted further away. “Please!... Don’t leave me… Alone.” She curled up, an ache in her chest growing ever stronger as she swallowed down tears. 

The hissing returned. “Stop running from me.” It formed each word in a chorus. 

“Who’s… Who’s there?” She whimpered. 

“Don’t worry. I can’t hurt you here. This is your space, not mine.”

A set of slitted golden eyes opened in the darkness, inches from her face making her scramble backwards.

“Are you afraid of snakes?”

“Depends what kind… Where am I?”

“In the collective unconscious, the realm of Hypnos… You’re asleep basically.”

“How are you speaking to me?”

“That’s a thought, how  **am** I speaking to you? You’re safe in your bed. Maybe I’m just a part of your consciousness. Kind of biblical with the imagery, don’t you think?”

“I’m not religious.”

“I’m a snake, what do you want from me. Anyway, I noticed you were alone in here. What happened to your friends?”

“I… I don’t know… I don’t know if they’re going to come back.”

“What if they don’t? Are you going to sit around like a good dog and wait?”

“Shut up!” Her voice echoed into the darkness.

“Oof, sounds like I hit a nerve.”

“Just leave me alone!”

The golden eyes closed, disappearing into the shadows. She sniffled as she lay curled up on the floor before she felt something covering her. It was warm, comforting. 

“Don’t mind my serpentine sibling. He revels in causing chaos and misery. When you awake I’m sure your companions will be there to greet you.” A woman sat cross legged in front of her, a soft look in her brown eyes. She reached over and made sure Mel was tucked in before brushing back her fringe. “Here. Let me do you a favour.” She drew a symbol on Melodys head with her fingertip. “Now my brother will no longer be able to interrupt your slumber. Be careful of him.”

Mel blinked, remembering where she’d heard this womans voice before. “Ma’at?”

“Get your rest human.” 

Melody awoke to the sound of the coffee machine starting up, confused by the warmth around her as she had been so cold before she fell asleep. She opened an eye and sat up, trying to get her bearings as the familiar greatcoat slid down. She folded it neatly and stood to see Ianto in the middle of his morning schedule. She rubbed her eyes and walked over, slipping her shoes back on. 

“Ianto?” She said, her voice soft and still a little slow from sleep. 

He turned in surprise. “Morning. It looks like you had a busy night.”

“Forget me, is Jack ok? Did everyone get out ok?” 

“We’re all fine.” He smiled fondly, seeing her visibly relax. 

She rubbed her eyes again. “I thought… I thought you weren’t coming back… I waited but eventually I just couldn’t keep my eyes open anymore.”

“It’s ok. We’re all fine.” He handed her a tissue to dry her eyes, even if she was trying to hide the fact that she was crying. 

She took it in a shaking hand. “Sorry. I don’t even know why I’m crying.”

“Come here.” He pulled her into a hug, almost to prove that he was real. He’d spent nights feeling the same way before. Granted not for some time but still, he knew how nerve wracking it could be. All the intrusive thoughts swirling around your head with nothing to distract you from them, minutes feeling like hours, jumping at every noise. “You were working all night, why don’t you head home?”

She shook her head. “I want to be here. I want to at least see everyone.” She stepped back. “I should see if I have a change of clothes in my locker.” 

“If you want to see Jack before you do…” He pointed over to Jack, who was leaning on the barrier, watching them. 

She marched over to him and stared from under her fringe. “What happened to not letting Osiris take you?” 

“In my defence I wasn’t given a choice.” The captain said, knowing that she wasn’t really angry. “You didn’t have to wait for us.”

She almost knocked him over as she practically jumped forwards to give him a hug, that he gladly returned. “Yes I did. Just, please never do that again.”

“I’ll try.”

Gwen yawned as she walked into the hub, the scent of bacon sandwiches filling her head. Ianto handed her a sandwich, wrapped up in paper and foil to keep it warm. “Morning.”

“You’re an angel.”

“I have been told I have the patience of a saint.”

“Ianto, patron saint of breakfast.”

“It isn’t the worst way to be remembered. Jack’s put most of the equipment away so we can relax for a bit.”

“That’s a relief. Where’s Melody?”

“Last I checked she went to shower and get changed. That was twenty minutes ago though.”

“Thanks.” She made her way down to the locker room, spotting Mel tying back her hair. “Morning.”

Melody looked around and smiled. “Good morning. Oh, good, you found breakfast.”

“Yea… About yesterday…”

“I’m just happy you all got back safe.”

“You’re not mad?” She asked, sitting on the bench next to her friend. 

“You were right. Why would I be angry?”

“You were so upset, I thought-”

“Gwen, I was scared, upset, a bit angry, but that was the problem. I wasn’t thinking logically and if you had let me tag along I might have got someone hurt… I’m not going to tell you I’m not still a bit upset. If you hadn’t come back I wouldn’t have known. I would have waited and waited… Here… Alone… But the point is you are ok. All of you. So, everything’s fine now. Anyway, you should go and eat before it goes cold.”

She looked down at the neatly folded package warming her fingers. “If you’re sure.”

“Certain.” She gave a sunshine smile, the picture of happiness. That was until Gwen had left. Mel pressed her forehead against the cool metal door of her locker and sighed, letting the smile slip away. Though she’d been completely honest in believing that Gwen had been right it didn’t change the fact that it made Melody feel as if she was an outsider. She was the office girl, that was all, and she needed to get used to that. She’d let herself believe she was part of the team and she felt like an idiot for it. She smoothed down her skirt and headed to the tourist information office. Right where she belonged. 

As much as Jack was happy that Osiris had been dealt with for now, he knew that until the eye of Osiris was captured or destroyed it would be back. For now there were other matters to deal with. “So, we can concentrate on the possible double agent at UNIT.” He said.

“I have a short list.” Said Martha, opening her laptop. “I’ll have to do a little investigation of my own when I get back to be sure, but they should make themselves known now their leader is out of the picture. I doubt most of the organisation will believe they were following a huge brain bug, so right now they don’t have a leader. We’ve delivered a huge blow to them.”

“Are you sure you can handle it on your own?”

“Don’t worry, I have a whole team of my own to help.” She gave a cheeky smile. 

“I’ll leave it to you then. In the meantime we have to find out where Osiris and his second in command escaped to. Oh, and Tosh, did you find out if the pollen that caused the shower of birds was contained at the base?”

Tosh shook her head. “It was developed at a separate lab, but we have an address and all the information we could need on the project. Though six samples of the pure pollen have already been sold, along with two containers of the concentrated version.”

“Does it say to who?”

“The pollen samples, yes. The containers, no.”

“It’s a start. We should shut down the lab so they can’t make any more, then we can round up what they’ve sold.”

“Thankfully we now have the only copy of the information they had on us. I have a fresh list of emails too. Martha, I’ll send them over to you; they might help you find the double agent.”

Mickey walked into the tourist information office. “Mind if I keep you company?”

“Not at all. I kind of did most of my busy work last night so I’ve just been sitting here reading some of the digital archive and texting my girlfriend.” Melody said, grabbing a second chair. 

He sat down and looked around the office. “It’s a bit…”

“Outdated. I know. It’s kind of meant to be.”

“It’s good cover I guess.” 

“It’s worked so far… Thanks for standing up for me yesterday.”

“I just thought it was strange, you know? You’re the one with the psychic powers so why leave you behind.”

“I trust Gwens judgement and I probably would just get in the way…”

“Buuuut?”

“I wish I could have helped. I wish I could have at least been there. It was awful waiting.”

“It’s the not knowing. Being left behind makes you feel like everyone thinks you're useless.”

“You sound like you’re talking from experience.”

“The Doctor used to call me Mickey the idiot. He went off with Rose and I got left behind without a clue of what happened for months. Her mum blamed me… I was a coward back then and it was hard to change, but it still hurt being left behind. They can have the best intentions in the world, but when you want to help and they say no it’s crushing.”

“What changed?”

He shrugged. “The universe decided I should go along. That or Rose convinced the Doctor to stop being such a dick.”

“You’re lucky, I don’t think I can change.”

“Why not?”

“They’re always off running after this or that and no matter what I do I don’t think I’ll ever be able to keep up. A few flights of stairs and I get out of breath. Trying to do half the exercise they do on a daily basis would land me on the floor. Stupid lung slicing alien parasite.” 

“I think I missed something.”

“I’m missing half a lung because of an alien trying to use me as an incubator as a kid.”

He let himself understand what she’d just said before trying to carry on. “Listen, you might not be able to do all the running around, but you can work around it. You’re smart and you’ve got the whole psychic thing going on. You’ll find your way.”

“I hope so.... God, I’ve been such a downer this whole time, sorry. I’m not usually like this, I promise.”

He chuckled. “Don’t worry about it.”

“Want to see something funny?”

“Go on then.”

“Jack’s a cryptid.”

“Eh?”

She turned to the computer and brought up one of the forums, specifically titled ‘the Cardiff coat man’ or ‘the ghost of the Cardiff airman’. A blurry photo of a silhouetted figure standing atop the edge of a very high building took up most of the first post. The rest was filled with theories about who or what he was. From the spirit of an airman that died over the city during the second world war that returns to warn of disaster, to some kind of creature whos wings take the form of a coat when it lands to watch over the city just waiting to cause trouble. 

He shook his head, amused. “Does he know about this?”

“Nope. Tosh and Ianto do. They think it’ll make his ego even bigger, and then it would take over the world with its newly found sentience. He has a fan club and everything.”

“No.”

“Yep.”

“We have to delete this before he sees it.”

“Wait until you see the fanart.” She grinned. 


End file.
